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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23224225">If We Tried</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>LOONA (Korea Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Femslash, First Meeting, Fluff, Prompt Fill, Short &amp; Sweet, Strangers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:35:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,077</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23224225</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jinsol accidentally falls asleep on a stranger's shoulder during her commute home.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>198</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>If We Tried</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>
  <a href="https://66.media.tumblr.com/1d545a1f9aade4ee6512292e297c8fbe/tumblr_pfxsffvhHY1xbl03uo8_500.png">Jungeun's outfit</a>
</p><p>  <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/736x/40/71/a7/4071a7d092547e216ba6c947ddbd7fb1.jpg">Jinsol's outfit</a><br/> <br/>This work was based on this prompt from <a href="https://prompts.neocities.org">this prompt generator</a>: </p><p>Jungeun and Jinsol meeting on a train when Jinsol falls asleep on Jungeun's shoulder.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jungeun always hates the commute home. Left without a car after her last breakup, she’d ended up taking the metro to and from her 9 to 5 job everyday. 

She’d learned to sit quietly and not say much to anyone other than an occasional hushed ‘excuse me’ or ‘thank you’ after witnessing countless awkward failed attempts at conversation between strangers.</p><p>She’d been catcalled enough times to be able to act unaffected and overlook it, and often felt unsafe on public transportation, especially since the route she took beelined through some of the sketchier neighborhoods in her area.</p><p>Often, her phone would be dead by the end of the day, so she’d end up listening to the squeak of the cars metal body or the heavy snoring of the man sitting beside her for the extent of the long, uncomfortable ride.</p><p>On those occasions that her phone did die at work, Jungeun often watched the people on her car, coming up with obscure back stories and past relationships based solely on the way they dressed or moved to eat the time up. She knew almost everyone that usually rode on her route, so it was especially intriguing when a new, unknown person made their way warily onto the dirty public transportation system, trying to hide disgust at the discarded food on certain seats, or the stench coming from an exceptionally sweaty man.</p><p>This is exactly what happens on a particularly horrible Tuesday when Jungeun is on her commute back home, feet aching from the tortuous workday she had just endured.</p><p>Jungeun silently lifts her eyes as she listens to the air brakes sound, her eyes widening slightly as she looks over a woman that appears a little too prim and proper to be on a grimy public bus.</p><p>The woman is wearing dress pants, a white shirt, plaid blazer, and a visibly tired frown. Jungeun shoots her eyes away as the woman pays and then walks toward her.</p><p>She settles into the seat beside Jungeun, leaving a respectful distance between their legs. Jungeun sighs, relieved beyond belief at the absence of contact.</p><p>Most of the ride goes pretty normally, beside, of course, a gorgeous stranger sitting next to her, until Jungeun notices the woman’s eyes drooping, her head lulling forward slightly until she catches herself and rolls her eyes a few times to force herself back awake.</p><p>The woman tucks a strand of black hair behind her piercing-clad ear and yawns, making a cute noise afterwards as her mouth closes. Jungeun’s body starts to heat up.</p><p>After thirty seconds, Jungeun hears steady breathing coming from her left and a slight pressure on her side, making her head turn gently toward the now quietly snoring woman resting on her shoulder.</p><p>Jungeun smiles lightly and looks back straight ahead, playing with one of the rings on her right hand as she scans the floor like its the most interesting thing she’s ever seen.</p><p>Probably ten minutes pass of the woman sleeping on Jungeun’s shoulder before the next stop comes up, and Jungeun realizes the stranger could mean to be getting off at whatever street they’ve just sidled up next to.</p><p>Jungeun shakes the woman lightly. She moves a little, but doesn’t open her eyes. Jungeun sighs.</p><p>“Hey, wake up,” She says, her voice gentle. </p><p>The woman looks up, her head still of Jungeun’s shoulder, and they meet eyes for a terrifyingly slow second. Jungeun swallows.</p><p>“Oh, shi-shoot! I’m sorry,” She says. A few heads turn to watch the exchange.</p><p>“No, it’s fine.” Jungeun says. “I just didn’t know if this was your stop or not.” She gestures briefly at the now closing doors. The woman looks in the direction she’d pointed to, then back at Jungeun.</p><p>The woman straightens her posture slightly, adjusting the purse in her lap.</p><p>“Uh, no. Thanks for your concern, though.” She says, seeming genuine.</p><p>A few seconds of silence between them pass, the mutterings of a few other passengers the only backdrop to the otherwise heavy quiet.</p><p>“I must have pretty comfortable shoulders.” Jungeun jokes, the woman’s neck snapping back in her direction.</p><p>She lets out one loud laugh, and Jungeun can’t help but think it’s a little too loud for such a lame joke.</p><p>“I guess so,” She replies after regaining her composure. Suddenly, she thrusts her hand in Jungeun’s direction.</p><p>“I’m Jinsol,” She says as Jungeun takes her hand to shake it. She tries not to acknowledge how soft and warm Jinsol’s skin is.</p><p>“Jungeun,” Jungeun replies, a gentle look in her eyes as Jinsol’s face erupts into such a big smile that her eyes move upward and turn into half circles.</p><p>“Why’re you so tired that you had to sleep on a stranger’s shoulder, Jinsol?” Jungeun prods, smiling as she slouches slightly in her uncomfortable plastic seat.</p><p>Jinsol laughs airily and then sighs, a little sadly. “Long day at work,” Is all she says, and Jungeun just nods and mutters "That’s too bad." She understands that sentence far more than Jinsol knows.</p><p>“Again, sorry about that.” Jinsol says. </p><p>“Oh, it’s fine. Rather it be a cute girl than an old man.” Jungeun says, and Jinsol just smiles like that again, like Jungeun’s the funniest person on earth and she’s just happy to listen to her voice.</p><p>The speakers ding before an inherently robotic female voice speaks over the intercom, announcing another stop, the one just before Jungeun’s.</p><p>“This is my stop,” Jinsol announces to Jungeun, and she nods, a little sadly. She’d enjoyed the short encounter they’d shared, and, to be honest, she’d mostly forgotten about the terrible day she’d had and the ache in her legs because of it.</p><p>“Oh, alright,” Jungeun says. Jinsol can hear the unhappiness in her tone.</p><p>“Would it be alright if I could get your number, Jungeun?” Jinsol asks as the air brakes resonate around the metro car again and she gets to her feet.</p><p>“Yeah,” Jungeun pauses for a second, “Yeah, that’d be alright,” Jungeun says, looking up at Jinsol, who’s holding out a battered iPhone to her.</p><p>“Just call your number. I gotta get off, so.” Jinsol says, glancing anxiously toward the doors. Jungeun follows her instructions, letting her ringtone sound for a few seconds before hanging up.</p><p>“Text me!” Jinsol calls out after retrieving her phone, hurriedly jogging off of the bus. She stays in one place on the curb as the metro pulls away, locking eyes with Jungeun until she can’t anymore.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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